What is Burkitt Lymphoma?
- Burkitt lymphoma is one of the types of lymph cancer. This type of cancer, which is usually seen in the African region, often occurs in childhood. The disease is rarely seen in adults. It is seen especially with tumors in the head, abdomen and neck region, and these tumors grow quite rapidly.
- African type Burkitt lymphoma: More common in children
- American type Burkitt lymphoma: It is seen especially in adults. It can be held in the central nervous system, in the abdomen, in the blood cell.
What Causes Burkitt's Lymphoma?
The exact cause of Burkitt lymphoma is not known. But this type of cancer is often associated with AIDS, malaria, and the Ebstein Barr virus.
It is estimated that insect-borne infections and plant nutrition are also the cause, as it is more common in the African continent and tropical islands.
Burkitt Lymphoma Symptoms
Most diseases show different symptoms in different people. Burkitt's lymphoma is one of these diseases and there are different symptoms depending on the size of the tumor and the cause of the disease.
General symptoms include:
- Bone marrow abnormality
- High level of uric acid in the blood
- Increased level of lactate dehydrogenesis
- Neoplasm in the oral cavity
- Stomach ache
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma begins with the examination and becomes definite with the biopsy taken from the tumor. Since the disease spreads very quickly, detailed examination of the brain and central nervous system is required.
It can be performed with medication, surgery or radiation for the treatment of the disease. It is a fatal disease if left untreated. The life expectancy of patients is estimated according to the stage of Burkitt lymphoma.
